I love the Triduum.
It is my favorite season in the Church, and it lasts only three
days. It’s the light at the end of the
tunnel of 40 days of preparation where we know Victory wins!
For those of you wondering what I said yes to… I’m
engaged! Now before you start freaking
out, wondering if Eden changed the rules about the dating fast for SPIRITUS
members, let me explain. Actually, allow
me to have Mike Donehey from 10th Avenue North explain (make sure
you also listen to the song “Beloved” right after).
Do you get it now? On
Holy Thursday, we begin the three holiest days in the liturgical year, starting
with the Supper of the Lamb. Yet,
although the Triduum lasts only three days it doesn’t end there. Every time we attend Mass, we relive the Last
Supper where Jesus asks us every time:
“Will you marry me?” I said yes.
Will you accept?
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain..."
Hebrews 6:19
This past weekend God blessed me with an overwhelming amount of love and joy on retreat. I can honestly say I was not prepared to be so happy and so filled with the Holy Spirit. (Not that God's love should surprise me...but it always does!) I remember at the end of the retreat we were all sitting in the chapel, all (60+?) of us, and I just imagined the whole thing underwater and God encasing us with an anchor, and there we all were... Together, as a family that had just met 24 hours ago, we were anchored together in Christ. It is amazing to feel God’s unconditional love radiate from all the teens.
That is what the ministry is all about. The Holy Spirit taking hold and encasing us all in His love. Letting each one of us, each a unique child of God, understand just how perfect we are in God’s eyes! We may not always have these retreats that just “click” but when we do, SPIRITUS is so blessed to see the amazing fruits of the ministry!
This all being said, every single retreat has been a blessing. Each one has it's own moment that makes the rest of my week melt away and allows me to surrender everything to God. The teens are absolutely amazing. SPIRITUS is a true grace from God. I could not wish for a better place to be, God's will (as always) is better than I could have ever imagined. We are all all anchored in Christ, and He will always have our back.
You know the feeling where you are just so in awe of God's grace and thankful for how He takes care of everything even when you feel ill-equipped? Yeah, it's pretty awesome. I experienced that this past Sunday.
As we've mentioned before, we help with youth ministry programs at three parishes. I help at St. Patrick's in Menasha and I have been through my three years on Spiritus. It has been such a huge blessing to get to know so many at the parish, especially all the wonderful students there. We've done many events with the youth at St. Patrick's over the years but I've had this voice in my head that keeps saying, "these students need to go on a mission trip!" I went on three mission trips in high school and LOVED them all. They were monumental moments in my life where my faith grew tremendously. I've been wanting that for these students at St. Patrick's for awhile now.
Well finally it's happening! Four students from the parish are heading with the Diocese to Hancock County, Mississippi to help with Hurricane Katrina relief this June. I'm so excited for them!! I've been the one getting the ball rolling with the mission trip at St. Patrick's and although I've never taken the lead on a big trip like this, I've had the Holy Spirit helping me out so much.
Fundraising is a big part of trips and what I've been most anxious about. But the Holy Spirit provides! This past Sunday we had a stock sale fundraiser at the parish and it was amazing! The parish was so unbelievably generous and the students took ownership of the sale. Most of the time I just stood back in awe of the beauty of the scene; the beauty of generous hearts in both the parishioners and the students alike. This was a beautiful reminder to me to not worry about failing or being ill-equipped but to trust in the Lord and His goodness. Praise the Lord!
I am only a simple instrument
of the Holy Spirit, yet I have seen and encountered amazing things. On retreats
I have seen the youth's hearts change. I have seen in their eyes the Holy
Spirit giving them Wisdom and Understanding. I love watching Him work through
prayer, one on one. In this form of prayer, I get to see how when I step back
and let the Holy Spirit work, the students open up, share what is hurting them
and holding them back spiritually. And then we pray and The Lord God touches
their hearts and changes it and begins or continues to bring them into
conversion of heart.
The greatest blessing in the world
is to feel the Holy Spirit burning in my heart when I speak. To receive Jesus
everyday in the Eucharist and let Him thrive in my heart. "So this
joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John
3:30-To be lead into a relationship with the Father by Jesus and so to be in a
beautiful relationship with the Holy Trinity. This is what the Lord desires for
all of us! The best way to experience this is through Mary, our Holy Mother!
The most Simple and Humble Instrument of the Lord God!
Some of you may have seen this video by now. If you haven't, please check it out!
The video shows the true devotion of a husband for his wife when life start getting tough. The most heart-wrenching thing is that he does it without her even knowing. His love is a choice, and he chooses to love her every day. Even when she doesn't want to accept his love because of her own limitations of what she thinks marriage and love should look like because of how she's been raised and the beliefs she's constructed in her own mind.
How often are our own relationships limited because of how much love we are willing to accept, how much love we think we deserve?
This video made me cry because of how beautiful their loving relationship is despite the challenges life brings them. It makes me think, "Where can I find a man like that?" Because I bet every woman reading this blog wants a man with that kind of devotion. And I bet every man wants to find a wife with that kind of devotion too. The reality is that we are vulnerable creatures, and we desire to be known and loved by someone for who we are.
What I realized is that Jesus Christ is already the fulfillment of the perfect spouse for us. Women may be more readily able to see the spousal imagery because of our earthly gender relationships. But we can think of it another way: just like the husband in the video, Jesus Christ walks by our side each and every day, choosing to love us whether we want to accept it or not. How many times has he prevented our falling when we have not even realized it?! How great is His mercy for us! Sometimes we can be like the woman walking blind in the world, but Our Lord is right there with us every step of the way, and He wants to embrace us if we will only permit him. He waits for us and he loves us unceasingly.
I cried when I saw the video. But my heart wrenches even more now at the gratitude for the love Christ shows each and every one of us every day! This is the model for what true love should be, and it finds its fulfillment in Him! We can rest in peace knowing that even if we haven't met that person who can be that devoted spouse in marriage for us yet, we already have our perfect life companion. Even if we are not called to marriage, this is still the true reality for us--we are all called to the eternal love relationship with our merciful Savior.
How would each of us act differently if we knew we were loved, fully and completely, for who we are today? If we knew that we didn't have to search anymore, but that the person is walking right beside us, patiently, always? I challenge each of us (me included) to live out that reality right now! Praise God, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!
These past three weeks have been a whirlwind for me: Parish
ministry, retreats, retreats at my parish, and oh yeah—a weekend in the snowy,
frozen tundra of South Bend, Indiana—and most recently, a weekend with my
family and our dear friends celebrating a wedding on the sunny shores of
Southern California.
During my trips and travels, as well as with my time on
SPIRITUS, I have been blessed to spend time in conversation and prayer with a
number of wonderful people who have given me new insight and perspective. These people have allowed me to step outside
of myself and look at things objectively, rather than getting sucked into the
monotony and hopelessness of the daily struggle. When I begin to sink into the waters of
despair—especially during these past months of winter blah—God, in His infinite
love and mercy has sent these moments and these people into my life to pick me
up from the waters and let me be surrounded in love. So, I would like to share a few conclusions I’ve
arrived at these past few weeks, and hope that they can impact your life as
much as they’ve impacted mine.
1.Life is what you choose to make it. Choose joy.
“You get out of it what you put into it.” Each day you have the chance to make it a great day! Some days will be harder than others, but the
choice is up to you.
2.Problems are only as big as the amount of
attention you give to them.
How many times have we gotten caught up in
the little things and turned them into big things? In the grand scheme of things, the little
annoyances probably won’t matter. Will
this matter in 5 years? In one
year? Choose to let them go and love
through them.
3.Work will always be there. Family and friends won’t. Choose what matters to you and invest your time
there.
Death can come sooner than we expect. We know neither the time nor the hour. If you need more explanation on this one,
listen to the song “Cat’s in the Cradle.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJobJBOtyew
‘Nuff said.
4.If you have a dream, go for it. Life is passing you by while you keep
dreaming.
What’s stopping you? Money?
Sure, but that’s going to be an obstacle anywhere. Don’t let the small things keep you from
accomplishing the big things. (Like
joining and/or supporting SPIRITUS!) Need some inspiration? Check out this article about dream jobs: https://www.themuse.com/advice/should-you-apply-for-that-slightlyoutofreach-jobor-not
5.Love isn’t perfect. Love chooses
to love through the imperfections. Love
is a choice.
I most recently heard a beautiful form of
this at a wedding. Wouldn’t life be
great if we went into all our
relationships and interactions with this mindset? Well, you can. The choice is yours. And when you feel like you can’t do it, ask
God for help. He has more than enough
love to shower upon us so we can share His love with others and love through
the imperfections—even within ourselves.
